Flamini Demanding Sky-High Wages For Gunners Stay
Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini is almost certain to leave on a free transfer this summer, insisting the Gunners must match the £144,000 per week currently tabled by Milan to persuade him to stay...



This astonishing wage demand reported by the Daily Mail would make the tireless midfielder one of the most well-paid players in the world. It would also surely signal the end for the player's time at Arsenal, who are notoriously stringent with their wage structure.

Italian giants Milan are able to table such high sums in wages due to no transfer fee being paid to the club for the Frenchman, as his contract expires at the end of this season.



It has been a long-running saga in which Italian rivals Juventus had long led the way, but Milan, seeking reinforcements for the aging Gennaro Gattuso and Massimo Ambrosini, look like they may have pipped the Old Lady to the 24-year-old.

Manager Arsene Wenger had previously set a deadline of the end of April for Flamini to decide on his future, but has now given him extra time - reportedly, until Monday morning - to make his decision.

Regarding the saga, Wenger insists the player wants to stay - so it could well be the agent engineering the move - but ultimately, the club looks unlikely to meet his demands.

"Mathieu could answer the question on his future much better than I could," sighed Wenger. "At the moment, we have no news from him but, at the latest, we expect it to be decided over the weekend.

"He tells me he wants to stay and I want him to stay, but it will be down to numbers as well and we want to respect our wage structure. It is also important to keep the core of the team together."

Flamini was signed by Arsenal on a free from his hometown club, Marseille, in 2004.

Er. It's the Daily Mail. Not particularly reliable. And everyone already knew Milan were offering more than the Gooners.

Have the Daily Mail got their pound and euro mixed up?

I suppose if we're paying Dida £80,000 per week to watch games, then £144,000 for Flamini to actually play isn't too bad

I doubt, 144K/week in Euros or Pounds ... It's a staggering figure, someone like Ronaldinho or Ronaldo, but not Falmini. I guess it's the British tabloids at their best

Premiership is cr*p! Competition is not only about 4 teams!! its the league as a whole!!! look at the gap in terms of points between the 1st and the last teams in EPL, SerieA and La Liga and you'll get the point!

Premiership competition is only vested in the big 4 and their style of play is so boring: long balls, brute and fast...

Example one thing that i noticed in Man U v Barca is that at no single point did Van de Sar start play from behind!! yet his opposite always started play from the back...Man U couldn't keep possession because of their English style of play...

the only team that's interesting to watch in EPL is Arsenal, their style of play is like Milan's only that its faster and their players are younger...that's how they managed to beat us at our own game!

According to reports in Italy this evening, Mathieu Flamini has put pen to paper on a Milan contract after rejecting Arsenal’s terms.

The midfielder’s future has been up in the air for some time, as his contract with the Gunners expires at the end of the season.

Arsene Wenger extended the deadline for Flamini to give an answer to Monday, but that probably won’t be necessary.

According to Sky Italia, the French star has already signed a four-year contract worth £4.3m per season.

It is a slight change from the expected five-year deal worth £3.1m per term that had been mentioned in the Press.

Juventus had also been in the race to snatch up Flamini, but Milan appear to have secured his signature or at the very least a promise.

There is no official word as yet from either Arsenal or the Rossoneri.

“It will be sorted out over the weekend, and will he stay or not is down to him,” said Wenger earlier today.

“But we cannot afford not to keep our wage structure. We have a £360m debt and we have to respect the structure or we will go bust.”

Flamini had been offered a contract worth in the region of £55,000 per week.

Alexander Hleb is in a similar situation and has repeatedly been linked with Inter – something the Nerazzurri have firmly denied.

If it's true, it's quite a lot of money for a young DM - no doubt increased because of other interested parties.

I hope he's worth it

at 5.5m euros he would be one of the highest paid players in Serie A wouldn't he?

kaka has much more since his new(latest) contract signing

Yeah but with the ammount the media are speculating Flamini could start to make as much as him.

As I said, I think his wage will be around the ones Nesta and the other starters make. The media will continue to speculate numbers until the deal is done and even then they will continue to speculate

(Just posted the translation on the Ronaldinho thread. Basically, Berlusconi stated that he's not sure Ronaldinho is what Milan needs.)

He was at the Everton match today...wearing an Arsenal jacket...

So...?

Nothing...just reflecting on the vastly differing senses of loyality abundant in todays game...

Egad, Don Silvio making sense for a change? We should mark this day.

MILANO, 4 maggio 2008 - "Ci siamo fatti un bel regalo". Carlo Ancelotti modera i toni; i trionfalismi non fanno parte del suo repertorio. Anzi, il tecnico rossonero parte dall'Inter battuta nel derby: "Ai nerazzurri basta una vittoria, penso che lo scudetto possano vincerlo domenica con il Siena. Loro e la Roma hanno le stesse difficoltà con Siena e Atalanta, squadre già tranquille. L'Inter può chiedere i conti".
FLAMINI SI' DINHO NO - E' felice; morde l'Europa che conta. Mentre Adriano Galliani, poco più in là, annuncia: "Flamini è nostro; arriva questa sera e firmerà per quattro anni". Mentre il patron rossonero, Silvio Berlusconi, gongola pensando a Pippo Inzaghi e Kakà e afferma che "su Ronaldinho è sempre stato dubbioso", aggiungendo un categorico: "adesso penso che non ne abbiamo bisogno". Il numero 1 di via Turati fa gli auguri all'Inter per la vittoria finale, perché "nonostante quello che si possa pensare, da milanese autentico e da figlio della segreteria del dottor Moratti, sono felice per lo scudetto dell'Inter".
PRESTAZIONE - Ancelotti incassa è torna al derby: "L'Inter ha usato nel primo tempo un atteggiamento prudente; ha contenuto il gioco con la marcatura fissa su Pirlo e questo ci ha dato libertà sulla costruzione e il controllo del gioco". E non può fare a mano di guardarsi indietro; si pensare alle occasioni perdute. "Credo soprattutto che abbiamo pagato l'assenza di giocatori importanti come Inzaghi, che è stato out tre mesi per la frattura al piede. Ronaldo poi non c'è mai stato, Pato per sei mesi neanche. E poi abbiamo potuto lavorare bene in queste settimane. Oggi siamo stati bravi ad aggirarli lateralmente".
TUTTO IN GIOCO - Galliani, sempre poco più in là, non lancia proclami. "La felicità è contenuta - sostiene l'a.d. rossonero che mette le mani avanti - perché non è finita. Ha ragione Prandelli, la Fiorentina ha fatto un grandissimo campionato. Non drammatizziamo comunque se si arriva quinti. Ora abbiamo un punto in più. Vediamo cosa succede nelle due prossime partite". E analizzando i due calendario aggiunge: "Le partite sono tutte difficili e da giocare". Poi su Flamini: "Arriverà in serata e firmerà per 4 anni".
FLAMINI A MILANO - E infatti, come aveva annunciato nel pomeriggio il vicepresidente vicario del Milan, Adriano Galliani, il futuro acquisto rossonero, Mathieu Flamini, è arrivato a Milano in serata e adesso si trova a cena assieme al suo procuratore nel ristorante di proprietà del suo prossimo compagno di squadra, Kaladze, nei pressi della stazione centrale. Il centrocampista francese è atterrato alle 20,45 allo scalo privato di Linate, a bordo di un aereo proveniente da Londra, dove nel pomeriggio era sugli spalti dell'Emirates Stadium per l'ultima partita casalinga della stagione dell'Arsenal. In jeans, giacca e camicia nera, Flamini è stato accolto da una decina tra giornalisti, fotografi e operatori che lo attendevano di fronte al ristorante, ma a tutte le domande ha risposto con un secco "later, later".

MILAN, 4 May 2008 - "we are done Ourselves a fine gift".  Carlo Ancelotti curbs the tones; the triumphalisms do not do part of its repertory.  Or rather, the technical rossonero leaves from the inter beaten in the match:  "To the nerazzurri you suffice a victory, I think that the badge possano to win the Sunday with the Siena.  They and the Rome have the same difficulty with Siena and Atalanta, squares already calm.  The inter is able ask the accounts".
FLAMINI HIMSELF' DINHO NO - AND' happy; bites the Europe that counts.  While Adriano Galliani, little further on, announces:  "Flamini is ours; arrives this evening and will sign for four years".  While the patron rossonero, Silvio Berlusconi, is pleased thinking about Pippo Inzaghi and Kakà and affirms that "on Ronaldinho always was doubtful", adding a categorical one:  "Now I think that we need not of it".  The number 1 of road Plugged does the omens to the inter for the final victory, because "although what thinks, from milanese authentic and from son of the secretary office of the dottor Moratti, I am happy for the badge of the inter". 
SERVICE - Ancelotti packs returned at the match:  "The inter used in the first time a cautious attitude; contained the game with the fixed marking on It and this has us given freedom on the construction and the control of the game".  And it cannot do to hand of to look at itself back; to be thought the occasions lost.  "I believe above all that we paid the important absence of gamblers like Inzaghi, that out was three months for the break to the foot.  Ronaldo then us did not ever be, I Suffer for you are months not even.  And then we were able to work well in these weeks.  Today we were capable to go around them sideways". 
ALL IN GAME - Galliani, always little further on, not spear proclamations.  "The happiness is contained - supports l' to. d. rossonero that puts the hands before - because is not ended.  It has reason Prandelli, the Florentine one did a large championship.  We do not dramatize however if it arrives fifth.  Now we have a point in more.  We see what it happens in two next left".  And analyzing the two calendar adds:  "The entries are all difficulties and to play".  Then on Flamini:  "It will arrive in evening and it will sign for 4 years". 
FLAMINI TO MILAN - AND in fact, how had announced in the afternoon the vice president vicar of the Milan, Adriano Galliani, the future purchase rossonero, Mathieu Flamini, arrived at Milan in evening and now it is found to supper together with its prosecutor in the restaurant of property of its next teammate, Kaladze, in the crowds of the central station.  The French midfielder is landed to 20.45 to the private port of Linate, on board of a coming airplane from London, where in the afternoon was on the steps of the emirates Stadium for the last divided housewife of the season of the arsenal.  In jeans, jacket and black shirt, Flamini was welcomed from a ten between journalists, you photograph and operating that awaited it facing the restaurant, but to all the questions answered with a dry one "later, later".